Japanese ref cleared
Japanese football authorities cleared a leading referee Friday of an accusation that he had told a player to "drop dead" for complaining about a decision during a J-League match.
The J-League and the national football association said they did not have enough evidence to support the charge after interviewing the referee, the player involved and his club and reviewing video clips of Tuesday's match.
Oita Trinita defender Taikai Uemoto complained that referee Yuichi Nishimura told him: "Shut up, just play with your mouth shut. Drop dead," when he made the complaint during the club's 1-0 loss away to FC Tokyo.
Nishimura, 36, denied the "drop dead" jibe but admitted to making the rest of the remark according to J-League chairman Kenji Onitake.
"After reviewing the scene in question from different angles, we have come to respect what he (Nishimura) stated," Onitake told a news conference.
He also ruled out any sanctions against the player or the referee over the incident.
Japan Football Association executive director Kozo Tajima said the video clips did not offer conclusive evidence.
"They don't clearly show movements," he told the same press conference.
Nishimura won his professional referee's licence in 2004 and has officiated at the Asian Cup and the under-17 World Cup last year.
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